Bad Moon Rising
by BadLuckCat
Summary: May 1969, Laurie Challoner is a troubled teen who was sent down to her aunt's in Goatswood. She is given the basement as her sleeping quarters and pretty soon she discovers something just isn't quite right inside her aunt's house. Prequel, R&R plz Hiatus
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Okay I'm doing this out of complete boredom so sorry if there are mistakes. I've seen the movie on demand a week ago with my friend and we both liked it and I was sort of planning on making a fanfic of it anyway. Also I don't know much about Connecticut 'cause I'm an Okie, Oklahoman to be more specific , I never left this state besides going on visits to relatives or religious reasons to Kansas, Arkansas and Lousiana. I'm trying to do my research and stuff. Plus I seen the documentary and I was thinking of adding some references of that in here and maybe a slight crossover of An American Haunting. And remember this is a prequel (I guess) and is based in the late sixites. I hope you enjoy this and please review. I need feedback! :3_

_**Disclamer!: I DON'T OWN HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT!! I ONLY OWN LAURIE CHALLONER AND ANY OTHER OF MY OCs**_

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**Bad Moon Rising**

**By: BadLuckCat**

**Chapter 1: The End is Coming Soon**

**May 24, 1969**

Despite the light summer breeze blowing inside through a rolled down window of a '66 Ford Galaxie it was very hot in the car parked in front of a gas station. A young teenage girl with dark chestnut brown hair, a heart shaped face that was etched with pain and ghastly milky pale skin sat miserably in the passenger seat, leaning against the window pane. Sweat was pouring down her forehead and her baggy grey woolen turtleneck sweater didn't help with the heat when it was late spring, about to be summer. Her hand gently squeezed a water filled Ziploc bag, it was cool to the touch and it had already begun to sweat with precipitation.

"Okay, I paid the gas and we're already to go," A woman soon slid into the driver's side. The woman looked to be the complete opposite of the younger girl with dirty blonde hair, a round face, tanner skin and more developed in her curves. She also wore a pair of glasses.

The younger girl lifted up her hand that was clutching the opening of the Ziploc bag presenting it to the woman. "It melted," she stated as she continued to look distantly out the window.

Irritably the woman groaned, "Laurie, didn't we refill that, like a while ago in the last town?"

"It melted because of the heat, Mama." Laurie, who was the chestnut haired ghostly pale girl, simply replied to her mother.

The older woman snatched the bag of water out of Laurie's hand. "Fine, I'll refill it but let me see your eye first."

Laurie gave her mother a sideways glance before she turned completely around revealing a badly bruised right eye that was almost swollen shut. Her mother gently grabbed her chin turned her face to the left to get a better look at the black eye. The older woman gave a hiss before she let Laurie go.

"At least it looks a lot better than the day you first got it," Her mother stated as she got back out of her car, spilling the water out of the Ziploc bag and headed inside the gas station store.

Laurie then moved back to her original spot in her seat. Her dark haired head lying on the car door window pane and looked across the street at the church. As she continued to look around with her good eye she started to think about the situation at hand at the moment.

'_Hmm, let's see…mouth off to school she-bully on the last day of school, check! Get beaten to a pulp, Check! Take the blame for she-bully and make it believable and get disappointed looks from the teachers, principal and my own mother, check! Surviving the punishment mom has in store for me, not check_.' Laurie finished her listing just when her mother slid into the driver's seat and tossed the bag of ice at the teen that easily caught it. She started the car up, turned the radio on and then drove out of the gas station. Laurie placed the ice bag on her black eye.

"Don't leave it on there for too long," Laurie looked over at her mother as she spoke to her. "You might get frost bite."

Laurie didn't say anything but just sank deeper down in her set. She didn't know what was up but her mother never treated her like this before. All because she 'started a fight' she was now proclaimed as a bad kid, a trouble maker. Hell, she never ever gotten into a fight before much less getting the shit beaten out of her, so why is everyone treating her like she was now public enemy number one? Lady luck most certainly was not her best friend.

"You know, this Charles Manson guy and his 'family' have been awfully quiet lately have you notice?" Laurie turned her attention to the radio spokes man. A scowl graced its way on her mouth, _'Why can't they worry more about this guy than on me?_'

"I swear that man is the devil himself or the antichrist," She heard her mother say out of the blue before she changed the station. When she finally choose something the song 'Sugar, Sugar' by Archie flooded the all the silence around. Laurie watched her mother tap her fingers on the steering wheel along with the rhythm of the song, mouthing the lyrics to herself.

Laurie sighed and returned looking outside the window. Houses, old town buildings and other scenery passed by her vision but she didn't pay attention to it. Her mind wandered around many topics never straying specifically on one. Mostly she wondered about her purpose in life. Why had God put her here on Earth when there wasn't anything great that she could do? She had no talent that she could think of, no friends or anything that she could consider a companion. Hell she never had a boyfriend or any boy that she could think of that had any attraction towards her. Plain and dull was the only thing to sum her up as. She had nothing going for her! And God knew she hated to admit it but she just felt so lonely it was depressing. She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice that the music's volume had decreased or her mother constantly calling her name.

"Laurie Annabelle Challoner, listen to me when I'm speaking to you!" Her mother hollered at her. The teen whirled her head around to face her mother. Her hazel green eyes grew to the sizes of dinner plates and her pale skin and the dark bags under her eyelids were now more visible and made her seem more dead than alive. Her mother's sudden proclamation caused her heart beat to quicken and pale in fright.

"Uh, w-what did you say, M-mama?" Laurie stutters as she tried to calm her quickened heart and shocked nerves.

"I said you better behave yourself when you're at aunt Lil's," Mrs. Challoner muttered irritably as she focused her glaring eyes on the road ahead of her. "You know she doesn't normally do this but when I told her about you getting into that fight she knew that she needed to come into the scene again. Also remember she doesn't like kids, much less teenagers so try not to get on her nerves and do as she says. This is a punishment not a vacation, got it?"

Laurie just mumbled a yes. She heard the volume of the radio getting louder and concluded that was all her mother was going to say to her for the rest of the trip. She averted her focus on the music whether she liked it or not.

Now Laurie's aunt Lil was her mother's older sister by ten years. She didn't know much about her aunt besides from the rumors and stories she heard about her from relatives. The last time she seen her aunt was when she was six and was scared half to death with the prank Lil had pulled. Lilith was the toughest and meanest woman Laurie knew or heard about.

When Lil was younger she had to fight constantly to defend her little sister. Later when she started getting older she obviously got introduce to a lot of horrible things but her main favorite was alcohol and man could she hold it! But unfortunately after her first arrest for assault to a police officer and spending ten years in prison Lil had decided to tone it down a bit. She wasn't as crazy as she had been when she was a teenager.

But there were three certain traits she knew about her aunt though. She was an anti-social, foul mouthed bitch. And she_ hated_ kids _with a passion_. Laurie didn't know if she should feel honored that her aunt was making an exception for her case or to crawl up in a corner in a fetal position and start hyperventilating and crying in terror. Oh the horror!

The welcoming sign of Goatswood passed by quickly. Laurie turned and tried to arch her neck to see the rest of the sign before her sore muscles wouldn't let her. She returned back to her previous state and rested her head back on the window pane listening to the music. Soon another song had ended and the radio D.J. began talking,

"That was Suspicious Minds by the king of rock himself, Elvis Presley. Next up is C.C.R.'s new hit Bad Moon Rising," After that was said an upbeat rhythm of guitars and what sound like maybe a drum in the background started to play and soon followed up by John Fogery's singing starting up with the lyrics,

_"I see a bad moon arising. _

_I see trouble on the way._

_I see earthquakes and lightnin'._

_I see bad times today."_

Though it seem a bit odd but the moment that song started playing was when they had enter Goatswood she tried not to think about, '_But it just seems as if its screaming a bad omen.'_ She silently growled to herself. '_Oh shut up, Challoner its ideas and thoughts like these that get you into trouble so stop it!'_

Laurie was a pretty skittish girl and could be easily scared of anything. It was superstitions that mainly fuel her fear. It had made her very nervous and cautious about certain things and paranoid of almost anyone or anything. Because of this she was recently subscribed by a doctor to take pills every morning for her nervous system. Taking pills wasn't really her cup of tea but they helped in some ways more or less.

Right when the song had finished its two minutes and nineteen seconds, was when they had pulled into a long drive way on the side of a light tan two story house with porch that stretched along the front of the house. Mrs. Challoner put the car in park and then exited out.

"Get your things out from the back seat and meet me inside, will yah," She instructed before she headed toward the porch.

"Thank you! You're the best mom in the world for helping me with my things!" Laurie called after her, sarcasms dripping off her tongue before she heard the loud bang erupt from the front door.

She grabbed her large army green duffel bag and the smaller matching one. Just as Laurie turned around she spotted a peculiar shadowy figure appear and then quickly disappear in one of the upper windows. She gasped as she dropped her luggage. Once again her skin went sheet white and her eyes widen (well actually her good eye mostly did the widening.) giving the same resemblance to a doe act in head lights. Her mouth opened and closed and little sounds squeaked out.

'_Okay, okay! Calm yourself and think logically, Challoner! Even though for as long as I've known aunt Lil likes to live alone and never likes having company over except now,'_ Laurie tried reasoning with her self to calm her nerves. _'Maybe she invited one of my cousins or has a friend in town that she has over.'_ Shakily she picked her bags up and slung them over each shoulder and trekked up the porches stairs and headed inside her aunt's home


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much for the reviews, favorites and alerts guys! Love you!!! Also I'd like to mention something that I had forgotten to say in the first chapter. The whole ghosty buisness yeah that's not gonna be such a hard task because hey guess what, my house is haunted too! Seriously it is. Though mine isn't an ex-morgue but it is on a Seminole/ Creek burial ground. There are alot of ghosties here. But they're not evil or anything (my white friend says they are angels). They protect this house and the others around mine too. My guess is how they all died off was a deciese. I'm not scared of them, they just tend to freak me out sometimes but I'm not scared of them. And this isn't my first supernatural encounter like this. My grandparents' house is haunted too by a dog and an old man who's wife had murdered him. Anyways sorry for delaying you with this author note. Also sorry if this chapter is a little boring. I promise the action and story will start to flow pretty soon. _

_**Disclamer!: I DON'T OWN HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT!! I ONLY OWN LAURIE CHALLONER AND ANY OTHER OF MY OCs**_

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Chapter 2: Prisoner of Doubt

Upon entering the house Laurie, who was still shaking, could hear the conversation between her mother and aunt coming from one of the rooms. She followed the sound of their voices pass the living room and into the kitchen.

She first seen her aunt sitting a top the kitchen sink. She was slightly taller than her mama was and she had shoulder length shaggy blonde hair, a squarer face with deeper wrinkles, laughs lines around her mouth, and was similar in body shape like Laurie's mother. Her jean Capri's and a white wife beater were an opposite of Mrs. Challoner's high heels, pencil skirt and V-neck tank top.

Laurie leans against the entry frame lazily, one her bags had started to sag on her arm but she didn't seem to fix it anytime soon nor pay much attention to it. She stared at her scruffy, beaten up orange converse noticing a small hole forming on one of its heel.

"Damn kid! You sure did get shining," Laurie cringed at her aunt's comment. "She's like a toothpick. Don't you feed her, Charlene?" She paused as she started to take a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket.

"Your room is down stairs in the basement kid," Aunt Lil barked. Laurie cautiously lifted her head and eyes to look at her aunt.

"Um," Laurie quietly started out to try to get Lil's attention. "Which way is it to the basement?" She just kept her head down to try and avoided the intense glare Lil was giving her and the strong smell of cigarette smoke.

Lil took the time to take a deep inhale of her cigarette and blow a stream of smoke from her mouth and nostrils, "Now hang on for a moment and let me finish talking with your '_mommy_'." Laurie heard the obvious mockery in her voice when she had said the last word. "Go explore the house or something. Whatever the hell you kids do." At this said Laurie couldn't help but scuff and the eye roll she gave at being called a kid when she most certainly was not a child.

"Sure," She mumbled before she dropped her bags on the tile floor and headed out of the kitchen. Turning toward the stairs, she looked up them before she descended, two at a time up the creaky wooden stairs. Once she was at the top the teen walked cautiously down the hallway.

She practically threw herself against the wall causing old and stained picture frames to rattle slightly. Leaning and slowly sliding her thin form along the faded yellowing wallpaper and looking warily into each bedroom. Each one she peered into was eerie and strangely frightening, which wasn't saying much considering anything could scare this teenager.

Laurie then stopped in the doorway of one particular room. It was a little brighter but still held the same eerily haunting feeling as the other rooms. The only thing that made this room different was that it had one lone piece of furniture covered by a white sheet of cloth while the others were completely empty.

Hesitantly Laurie made her way in side the bedroom. Almost instantly, she noticed the painted tree and blue jays sitting and flying frozen around it on the stained wall next to the mysteriously covered item. Giving it one last look over, she dragged her feet sluggishly but curiously ventured toward the furniture.

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the white sheeted object. Curiosity being its usual annoying-self just irking her about what could be underneath until finally she was reaching out to grab a hold of it. The obvious feeling of dust coated on her hand from the aged cloth and then taking a fist full of it, she tossed the sheet away from the object. Accidently she inhaled the dust that had flew off the sheet and started to sneeze a great number before finally, it subsided and she could sneeze no more. Now she could have a better look of the _thing._

Then she slightly tilted her head to the right and cocked an eyebrow, resembling a confused dog. "A vanity dresser," She questioned aloud as if the air around her could answer her.

It was a tiny thing only coming up to her mid waist and the paint was starting to crack and chip off. In addition, despite having the sheet over it was cover completely in dust. Laurie decided to keep a note about cleaning it later on.

Suddenly she felt a chilling cold breeze whisked past her causing the loose strands of her hair to sway a bit. Laurie feeling an uncomfortable sensation forming in the pit of her belly and chillingly creep its way to her throat making her catch her very breath. Slowly Laurie started to turn to make her leave.

_Creeeaaak~!_

Laurie stopped dead in her tracks. Her blood ran cold, skin paling once more and her eyes widening at the sight of the closet door closing slightly. And damn it all to hell why is her curiosity her worst trait?!

Nervously she made her way to the closet door. Every step she took felt like she was carrying a large weight of rocks tied to her feet. It felt like a decade until she was standing at the door. Conforming just how frighten she was by her knees actually knocking together Laurie still reached out a shaky hand towards the doorknob. Moreover, just as she was about to grip the doorknob and open the strange moaning door-!

"Laurie!!"

_"Aaaaaargh~!!"_ Just like that, the nervous wrecked teen bolted out of that room and down the stairs in a heartbeat.

"Mama," Laurie cried out as she latched herself on her mother, as a small child would believe that their mother could protect them from all the monsters and evil in the world. The impact by Laurie almost caused her and Mrs. Challoner to fall over. Mrs. Challoner backed up flabbergasted at her daughter's sudden antics. Then the feverish shivers giving her an idea as to what may have happened.

"Laurie," Her mother said softly as she placed her hands on Laurie's shoulders. "Laurie its okay, remember what the therapist said. Whatever you may have seen was only in the state of your mind triggered by your fear." Tightening her grip around Mrs. Challoner's torso Laurie knew that she was trying to comfort her but she knew that what she saw was real no matter how insignificant it could have been.

"Laurie, I have to go now so if you could let me go," Mrs. Challoner said as she tried to pry her daughter's arms off her and becoming a fruitless attempt. "Ugh-Laurie let me go!" All patience had just gone out the window.

Seeing this entire take place, Lilith stood in the kitchen entryway with her arms crossed and an amused expression gracing on her face. And before anyone knew it, she let out a boisterous laugh. Both Laurie and Charlene looked over at their relative that was soon hacking up a lung from laughing so hard. She quickly cleared her throat before she stifled all her snickers.

Embarrassed Laurie hesitantly unlatched herself from her mother. She felt like such fool, running on her emotions and not thinking logically. Well she sure did give her aunt a great first impression.

"See what I mean by babying her," It was more of a statement than a question. Lil cocked her eyebrow and gave a smug thin smirk.

"I'm not babying her!" Charlene Challoner indignantly protested. "She's just sensitive and don't go playing any of your cruel tricks on her again!"

"Yeah, whatever," Lil just rolled her eyes.

Mrs. Challoner let out an irritated sigh before she turned her eyes back to her shame-faced daughter, her hard facial expression softening. "I'll pick you up in a month, bye sweetie." She placed a loving kiss atop Laurie's head. "Be good," She whispered before she turned headed out of the house.

Laurie watched her mother's retreating figure and she so desperately wanted to follow her. She did not want to stay in this house. It was big and creepy and she did not like it not one bit!

"Hey," Lil called at her niece. Laurie cautiously turned her gaze to a bored Lil. "Let me take you to your room."

Laurie obediently trailed after her aunt like a fawn following her mother or something close to that title. Going past the kitchen, picking her bags ups and then going into a hallway that led to some place she will be sure to explore later on her stay. Lil opened a door and quickly descended them entering into the lower quarters of the house. Light exploded all around the room and a blast of cold air hit Laurie straight on.

Among all the shocks of the day, the basement had to take the cake. There before her in piles and heaps was junk and worthless crap. Boxes and random pieces of furniture and other objects were stacked either neatly or haphazardly or scattered without care. Dust lied on the floor, the boxes and the furniture and the lights from the ceiling revealed to be hanging in the air as well. Laurie's mouth fell agape and a look of disbelief and hopelessness.

"First chore of the day, clean your room up." Lil barked viciously at the doe eyed Laurie. A cruel smirk was visible tugging on the edge of Lil's lips before she turned to leave. "I'll call you up when dinner is ready. Oh and the cleaning supplies are under the stair case."

Laurie groaned miserably at her sudden misfortune. Defeated she heavily dropped her bag on the steps before she too headed back up the stairs to go to the other ones to get the cleaning supplies and dragging a trash can that she had randomly found with her.

After that task done, she started on the boxes. Quickly the moment she lifted several boxes she found them to have nothing but the old and new dust gathering inside and collecting. Piling each empty box inside one another until all but two very heavy giant boxes, she placed the empty boxes in a closet in the hallway above her room.

Back in her little 'bat-cave' or what she wanted to nickname the basement but quickly decided to discard that idea seeing how cheesy that sounded _(A/N: When we all know how cheesy the sixties were.)_ she started to sweep the concreted floor. In about four short minutes the dust started to fly, Laurie had to put on a facemask to avoid breathing in any of particles. Little and big spiders and crawly bugs scattered before her skittish jumping feet. After sweeping and several dustpans full of dust and a freshly mopped floor later with all the tiny strength that the petite little ghostly girl had, she moved the heavy furniture and one old fashion bicycle against the wall.

There was a wooden door and a wooden wall with pitch-black windows to the farthest end of the room. It struck her odd but she didn't linger on it for too long. With all her strength she had, she tried to open the door fruitlessly. It didn't so much as budge.

"God this feels like trying to move a mule!" Frustrated her voice shrieked, hitting a very high-pitched note and then leaned all her weight on the side of the wooden wall and black tented windows. Curiously, she tried to get a better look as to what was behind the black tented windows. She turned her body around to face the black tented windows, cupping her handed like pretend goggles to see whatever was there. The only things she could make out were the silhouettes of strange objects. She focused on figuring out what these things were. The darkness of the black tented windows reminded her of her own phobia of the dark.

"Hey kid food's ready!" Aunt Lil's loud gravel voice making Laurie jump but not so much like earlier. Reluctantly Laurie drifted away from the windows and door. Laurie left the room in a tizzy as soon as she felt an odd feeling creep up her spine of something watching you.

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_A/N: The chapter's title comes from Straight On's Lyrics by Heart. _


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Woo!! Sorry guys it took so long! And yes I got an excuse(s). One its mostly writter's block and second alot of stuffs been going on like drama and school. My mom had recently gotten the swine flu and I had to be out of school for a couple of days to take care of her. She's getting better (thankfully). Anyways I wanted to thank you wonderful people again for the reviews, alerts and favorites!! I give you all cyberspace hugs!! On another note I wanted to answer NovaCaineIsAddicting's question, yes I've thought about contacting investigators but my mom won't allow it. But that's okay just as long as I don't bother them its alright. I mean its not like their pulling poltergeist shit or anything. They just make their presence known and that's just it. Also I've decided to add a prologue so check it out if ya want. It's basically a poem but its a little refence of things to come so its not pointless. I've also decided to add poetry to the beginning of each chapter (none of mine. They all suck.). Their mostly going to be from my favorite Emily Dickinson and maybe some Poe as well. Review PLZ!!!!_

_**Disclamer!: I DON'T OWN HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT!! I ONLY OWN LAURIE CHALLONER AND ANY OTHER OF MY OCs**_

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**Chapter 3: Home Alone**

As soon as Laurie had made her presence in her aunt's kitchen, she then met the hard black and white checkered tile floor. She concluded that the heavy being lying on top of her and drooling on her face was the cause of her down fall. A furry golden brown and black face with a long muzzle, black nose and chocolate brown eyes and a drool dripping tongue hanging on the side of its mouth. The thing was a very large German Sheppard.

"Huh that's weird," She heard Lil's grating voice and saw her callused, red toenail painted feet standing beside her head. "Hyde doesn't usually like others."

Laurie just gave a grimace when the German Sheppard left a trail of slimy drool down her face. Lil grieved an irritated sigh before she grabbed a hold of Hyde's red leather collar pulling him off Laurie. "Ah get off!" She commanded before she shooed the dog off. Hyde didn't leave though. He just sat in the corner of the kitchen with his ears perked up and his head turning everywhere in alertness, almost as if he was watching something.

"Wash your hands and face before you eat," Lil grabbed two plates of chicken sandwiches and potato chips.

Laurie shakily got up, feeling the bruises forming on her back from the impact of the hard floor. She headed to the sink and turned both the hot and cold on to make semi-warm water. Squirting a little dish soap in her hands and then rubbing them together under the water, taking a bit longer to get all the soap washed off her hands. Finally splashing at her face, she made sure not to hit her badly bruised eye and washed all the sticky dog slobber. Vivaciously she scrubbed her face. Once she was done grabbed a kitchen towel hanging near by and dried face and hands.

She heaved out a thoughtful, heavy sigh. This was most defiantly going to be the most awkward dinner she had ever had, she wasn't even sure if she was up to eating anything. In a very snail pace, she lowered herself to sit upon the wooden chair. Hyde soon was under the table, sat his head a top Laurie's leg, and gave off a low growl as he watched her pick up her chicken sandwich. She tossed him a sliver of the sliced chicken and then completely ignored him after.

"So," The ghostly girl diverted her attention to Lil. "Charlene told me about your happy pills you have to take in the morning." Laurie just gave a curt nod as she nibbled a bit of her sandwich.

"Why don't you just start by telling me the reason you had gotten into this fight on the last day of school?"

At this question, Laurie stopped all that she was doing. Heaving a sigh, she peered up at her aunt, her eyebrows knitting together. "Um, I guess I'll tell the truth. It wasn't really a fight more like, uh," Laurie lowered her gaze; she was too ashamed about what had actually happened, "A beat down on me."

Lil did not respond at all in that moment, they both fell silent.

"Its okay, kid, I was troubled too when I was your age," Lil blurted out.

Okay that was random. It took awhile for this statement to process to Laurie's brain but once it had, she responded not in the civilest of ways. She bolted out of her seat and slammed her hands on the tabletop; she glared down at her aunt who calmly looked up at her. "I am not troubled!"

"Uh-huh, and so says the girl who just got angry over that simple little statement," Lil smirked and rolled her eyes, remembering how she would have reacted the same way when she was Laurie's age. "Go to your room."

"W-what?" Laurie stuttered completely flabbergasted.

"You heard me, go to your room." Her aunt rose from her set and quickly took away Laurie's unfinished dinner.

It took Laurie a moment actually start toward her quarters; burning rage alighted deep in the pit of her stomach and coursed through her veins. She flung the basement's door opened and stomped down the stairs. Once she was at the bottom, she gritted her teeth, clenched her fists and glared up at the closed wooden door. She gave out an irritated huff before she turned away.

"I'm not troubled," She mumbled.

Finally, after several hours she had finished cleaning the basement, nightfall came. Laurie had exited out of the private bathroom dressed in her pajamas that consisted of an aqua tank top and flimsy rolled up bottoms to match. She wearily plopped herself on her newly refurbished bed. Turning on to her side, she had gotten a great whiff of one of her favorite smells, laundry fabric softener, from her freshly clean sheets. A light smile graced her full lips but unfortunately, as quickly as it had appeared it vanished within seconds.

That strange, nerve-wracking feeling came over her once again that day. That peculiar sensation that she was being watched; that she wasn't the only one in the room but no matter how much she looked around her she saw nothing, no bodily figure anywhere. The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stood on end and goose bumps arose on her skin. Miraculously the temperature dropped in the room.

_'Does this normally happen,'_ Becoming a little freaked out, Laurie could not help but wonder. In addition, as she tightly closed her eyes and flung the covers over her chestnut haired head, trying desperately to ignore the chilling feeling gnawing at the pit of her stomach.

It took several hours for Laurie to fall into a dreamless sleep. Unbeknownst to the slumbering girl the crisped white sheets that covered her slowly slid down her body revealing her to be in a fettle position. The lamp on her nightstand flickered rapidly before it went out. Leaving the entire room semi-dark, only the silver stream of light from the moon flooded into her room through the basement window. A black figure towered next to Laurie's body as its electric blue eyes stared intently at her pale thin frame. In a blink of an eye, he was at the other end of the room and then another split second he was gone.

When Laurie had woken the next morning, she found that the sheets that had covered her body before she fallen asleep were now at the foot of her bed. In her sleep-ridden mind, she just concluded that maybe she had kicked them off while she was still a sleep. A yawn emerged from her as she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. She swung her socked feet over the edge of the twin bed and onto the cold tile floor and made her way toward the staircase leading up to the kitchen.

The kitchen was deserted. The chestnut haired girl spotted a sticky note attached to the yellow fridge. Spidery pale fingers gripped and gently tugged the note off the surface and began to read the message scribbled on it.

_"Hey kid,_

_I've already left for work and I want the house cleaned._

_You know the usually. Sweep the floors, mop, wash dishes, dust the shelves and_

_Whatever you think needs cleaning._

_Take care of Hyde too; he is a little bit of a handful sometimes so watch out!_

_Aunt Lil."_

After reading it, Laurie stuck it back on the refrigerator. She sluggishly looked around the dimly lit kitchen. When she started to realize what she been forced into; she was alone in a very large and creepy house with only a German Sheppard to keep her company for the remainder of the day. That quaking shudder of fear vibrated along her spine and the feel of something heavy dropping to the pit of her stomach. In her slight panic and fright, she did the one thing she could do.

"Hyde, come here boy!"

The large slobbering canine came prancing in through the entrance. He sat himself in front of Laurie and looked up at her with his sparkling brown eyes expectantly. It didn't take her long to figure out what Hyde was expecting of her. Quickly she located his food bowl and poured some dog food that she found underneath the sink cabinet and then sat the full bowl down for the happily wagging dog.

Later on while the afternoon was slowly rolling by Laurie had finished washing the dishes and sweeping the floors. She had decided that now was the best time to start dusting. The ghost-like girl soon made it to the upper level of the house completely skipping the others as she had done so before and entered into the one room that seemed sunnier and brighter than the other rooms with the painted willow tree and birds on the wall and dusted old vanity dresser.

She sprayed, whipped and polished every nook and cranny of that old vanity dresser. Dusting away the cobwebs and shooing away the annoying moths she disinfected it as well. Once it was preempted and proper, Laurie stood and admired her handiwork and proud of the one good thing she had done. It did not radiate or shine but it looked at least descent and taken care of.

Next, she swept the whole room and mopped the floor. Nervously she checked the closet and – firstly relieved that nothing horrific didn't jump out at her – she sat up the furniture, spent the remainder of her time in that sunnier and more comfortable room reading her one of her many paperback books, and played upbeat music on the record player.

It did not take Hyde long to find Laurie. He lazily flopped himself in front of her, lying in the warm rays of the sun quickly making him fall asleep.

Laurie mused to herself as always. She wished she got this room instead of the basement. Being in the basement made her feel more worse about her social status, what people thought of her, an anti-social reject with no friends. A person no one wanted or to take the burden of her so the only way to be rid of her is to cast her away in a dark, dank and very creepy basement. Thinking these thoughts Laurie felt the ugly tears of self-pity erupt on the edge of her eyelids. She quickly left the room to finish her cleaning to distract herself.

As the hour rolled by with her mopping, the entire house went and then on to the next task. Delicately she took each picture off the walls and placing them in the forming tower in her arms. She sat the picture frames on the brown leather cushion seats of the bay window. Through several pictures that she had dusted, she saw what seemed to be family portraits with at least one member sleeping but that assumption was shattered when she looked at the others. In them were dead people laying in coffins or their beds with family or friends surrounding them with straight serious faces. It was then that she assumed the people who appeared to be a sleep in the 'family portraits' were actually dead as well. She let out a shaky breath as her blood ran cold threw her veins. She knew what these were. She remembered her history teacher talking about how people back in the old days would take photographs of the recently deceased.

Shaking incredibly Laurie gathered all the pictures and chunked them all into the cabinets underneath the bay window seats, uncaring if she had wrecked them or not.

As the pale girl continued her tasks deep within her room/basement, a dark figure seemed to glide up the stairs leaving behind the mysterious door wide open revealing another room with peculiar objects. Within seconds, of a few blinks of an eye the phantom found the where bouts of Laurie who was still on the second floor. It whisked past her purposely leaving a cold touch on her, making sure he was granted the attention he was asking from her. The dark figure only stopped half a foot behind her.

Indeed Laurie had felt that chilling touch. She stopped in her place; in shock and fear. Curiously but ever so slowly the ghost-like girl turned around to face the force that had left that cold touch on her persona. When she had turned completely around her hazel eyes grew wide, skin paling unhealthily, her full lips sunk into a thin line, every hair on the back of her neck standing on end. She forgot to breathe and didn't even notice the loud bang of the bucket of dirty water, mop, rags and broom against the hardwood floors.

Moreover, standing there before her was the thing she was most certain was the one who changes the room temperature too rapidly. To her all she could make out of him was just dark humanly silhouette with shocking baby blue eyes staring back at her hazel ones. All he did was stand there, staring intensely at her.

For an instance, she thought she heard a male voice say, _'You are the one.'_ However, it did not register completely to her.

She blinked once he still stood there.

Then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her whole body collapsed like a wooden board. Her body hit the floor hard but not as hard as Laurie's head. Though she didn't feel it because she had fainted.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Oh my god!!! I'm so, so, so, sooo SORRY that this chapter took so long. The excuses are the same as last and another to pile apon; Stress. Yeah I know excuses are like dirt, its just everywhere (or so says my sixth grade science teacher.) Anyways thank you for the reviews and patience I appreciate it very much!!! Cyberspace hugs!!!! Ok I'll stop scaring you now...And to NovaCaineIsAddicting that's how I feel too. Though they are mean at their tricks like messing with the tv and other things. btw If you want to know what Laurie looks kind of like go to my profile and look for the link to the picture. I know the title of this chapter is a 1980's song but it reminded me of this chapter. Actually this chapter had quite a few titles. I hope this chapter wasn't confusing...!_

_**Disclamer!: I DON'T OWN HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT!! I ONLY OWN LAURIE CHALLONER AND ANY OTHER OF MY OCs**_

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**Chapter 4: Sweet Dreams Are Made of This**

_I'm nobody! Who are you?  
Are you nobody, too?  
Then there's a pair of us — don't tell!  
They'd banish us, you know." – Emily Dickinson_

"Nnn," Lightly the pale girl groans as she tried to lift herself from the ground. Her vision was still hazy and her head –oh god- her head! It felt like she'd been knocked out by a ton of bricks! Out of reflex, Laurie clutched the back of her head where the sore was causing another wave of pain that course through her. Tears prickled loosely on her tightly shuteyes. Moreover, there was annoying high-pitched noise she could not make out what it was.

Then slowly she could.

"_Lollipop, lollipop -pop-  
Call my baby lollipop  
Tell you why  
His kiss is sweeter than an apple pie  
And when he does his shaky rockin' dance  
Man, I haven't got a chance  
I call him  
Lollipop, lollipop  
Oh lolli, lolli, lolli  
Lollipop, lollipop" _

_'Oh, it's the record player,'_ She thought miserable. Instead of picking, herself back up Laurie plopped back down on the hard wood floors and just laid there. Unconsciously she just stared at the ceiling to collaborate a strange feeling circulating through out her body. She did not feel whole, in one piece. Something felt missing but what?

Like a sloth, Laurie picked herself off the hard wood floor and quickly straightened her baggy clothes and that is when she found out what was missing from her. Green hazel eyes stared horrified and in disbelief at an unconscious body lying at her feet.

However, this was not someone else's body. This chestnut haired, deathly pale skinned and, almost anorexic body belonged Laurie! A heart wrenching, blood curdling screech the ghost like girl let out the most terrified scream her lungs had ever possessed. Franticly she stumbled away from her unmoving body.

Confused out of her mind of what she had just witness Laurie did not pay attention to where she was going. The only thing that she could properly go through her head is, '_What is going on?'_

She stopped in the living room almost tripping over her own feet in the process. Any given moment by now she would have been hyperventilating from the lack exercise but no air that she could contemplate coursed from her lungs and much less, no beating of her heart she could hear.

'_What is going on?_'

In a nerve wracking, boom the walls of the living room crumbled like sand to the floor. To add more weight on Laurie's fears what seems to be hundreds and hundreds of dead bodies came tumbling out over one another. Their skin was a pale grey tone, covered in markings etched into their flesh and more grotesquely, every single dead body was missing eyelids as they could stare blankly at the on seers. Within a frantic heart beat the dead bodies begun to move! Sluggishly they stood; climbing on each other to lift them and noticed Laurie shaking like a maraca in front of them. One screamed an ear-splitting shriek in her face.

Fruitlessly the teen tried to escape from them but she collided into more, surrounding her in hordes. In another frantic heartbeat, they started to attack her, try to consume her in their own way. Different surprisingly strong hands grabbed a hold of her hair, arms, and her clothes trying to tear her to shreds. She shrieked and wretched in her cold blood, heart stopping terror of this whole mess falling upon her in every direction coming at her in this strange, dream-like world!

_'What is going on?'_

Finally before she was about to give up and let the dead make her into one of them Laurie tore herself free. Stumbling, landing painfully on the floor and then crawling desperately away from the horde slowly going after her. Clumsily but efficiently she got up and ran away from them and into the kitchen.

Harshly she ran into the kitchen's back door in a feeble attempt to get out of the house but the door would not open. She twisted, she turned and no matter how much strength she put into it, she could not pull it open. The door then opened abruptly, smacking Laurie in her face and sending her flying across the kitchen.

When the door had swung open, just a little after hitting Laurie, cries and moans of agony erupted forth. A black swirling vortex revealed it self and before Laurie could realize what was going an invisible force started to pull her toward it. Once more, the dowie eyed girl wailed as she was dragged to the vortex. She clawed the black and white checkered tiled floor fruitlessly in an effort to escape her doom.

The whirlpool of black substances, wailing and moaning cries of pain sucked Laurie in. Panicking uncontrollably, she quickly grabbed a hold of the facing of the kitchen door. She sobbed as she struggled to bring herself back inside the house. Strangely, enough -but gratefully so- she had managed to collect herself back into her aunt's kitchen. She exhaled a shaky sigh of relief from escaping from her almost demise and leaned limply against the wall beside the kitchen door as it slammed shut angrily. Distinctly she thought she heard growling coming from behind the door.

Shakily Laurie stood as she tried to regain her balance on her wobbly legs. She was frightened far more than she ever had been but she was surprised that she was not petrified. Instead of moving anywhere else, she stayed near the wall as she leaned tiredly against it as she eyed the entryway and waited for the bodies of necromancy to appear.

As the time passed there was no sign of the living dead coming for her, instead something came in their place, sort of. A pale and dark haired boy dressed in very old clothing, came flying down the stairs. In the rush of him being in a tizzy, he fell against the kitchen entryway's framing as he held himself there not any heavy panting from exhaustion nor did he seem as if he was breathing at all. The boy just leaned his torso -what seemed painfully- and his lowered head against the framing.

Laurie stared warily at the boy; she silently debated over going to him and begging for his help or hiding away from this living nightmare. However, she did not get to choose her option for the dark haired boy abruptly shot his head up directly at her. A pair of familiar shocking ice blue eyes gawked in disbelief at her being. His eye's grew wide, brows knitting together and mouth slight agape.

"W-what," He started as he stood his fully height. "What are you _doing?!"_

And before Laurie could realize it the boy was in front of her within a blink of an eye, he stood looming over her obvious in the size difference.

"How did you get here?" He gripped her upper, hunched over so he could be in her eye contact and gently shook her in the process as he continued with his rant, "Why are you here?"

Laurie could not form words at all but just ogled at the deadly pale-skinned boy, her eyes wide and slightly intimidated by what he was doing. When he received no answer and seen the kind of expression she had the boy just let out a frustrated sigh. He mentally kicked himself for causing her to be even more frightened than she already was.

"I'm sorry, miss," The boy apologized when he released her gently and stepped back a foot to avoid intruding into her personal space.

Laurie did not say word she was simply too perplexed by the ordeal and this stranger before her. Very cautiously, she observed him.

He was tall, a head taller than Laurie and he seemed to be at least twenty-one maybe a little younger. His hair was a very dark brown and evenly cut bangs. He had a round face with a pouty mouth and electric blue eyes. He had a slim body that was dressed in black overalls that stopped at mid-waist and grayish green dress shirt. His skin was tremendously pale.

"Um," Laurie nervously began. "A-are we d-d-dead?"

The boy looked at her solemnly before he took her hand in his.

"Come with me," He whispered as he led her out of the kitchen and up the stairs. When they were at the top of the stairs, the boy took her to her fallen unconscious body. Laurie still felt short of breath as she stared at her body, thinking of how surreal it was. She felt another wave of tears coming forth.

"Please don't cry, miss," The boy quickly begged as he fully turned to her and grabbed both of her hands. "I'm dead, you're not."

"W-what? How?" Laurie questioned.

"Look at your body, its still breathing." He pointed to her body on the floor and indeed, you could see that Laurie's body was breathing rhythmically in a normal indication of life. Dumbfounded and shocked Laurie could not say a word.

"Do you believe in spirit walking?" The boy appeared to be nervous and cautious as he asked Laurie.

She turned her attention back to him, "Do you mean an 'out of body experience'? Do you think that's what happening to me?!"

"Yes, I do." He gently squeezed her hands as he made eye contact with Laurie, "But you must realize how much your body is endangered. If the trapped spirits found your body and see that it's missing you, the spirit, they will try to take it. They are that desperate to escape from here."

"What do you mean that my body is missing me?"

"You're the spirit of your body but your soul still remains because it's the only thing keeping you alive." He stated, "The spirit and soul are two different things in a shorter way of putting it. We don't have much time for me to explain the difference. You need to return back to your body before it's too late."

"How?" Laurie croaked.

"By connecting the spirit back with the body and soul, I believe." The boy lingered a bit before he released her hands and stepped back to give her space. "Try going back into your body."

"Uh, o-okay," She replied and advanced to her unconscious body on the floor. When she was about to put a foot on her body a blinding white light erupted, consumed her vision and all around her.

'_What day is it?_' Laurie could not help but think as she stared up at the ceiling. She sucked in a great deal of air and felt her lungs expand and then deflate from exhalation. Sitting up she looked around her aunt's hallway in confusion. Everything in the house was different.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait! There's too many excuses but the main issue was that a virus attack my laptop and microsoft word got deleted. I just now found out that I could go on google and type it all. So I did! Sorry that this is short..._

**************__****Disclamer!: I DON'T OWN HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT! I ONLY OWN LAURIE CHALLONER AND ANY OTHER OF MY OCs**

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**Chapter 5: Are you prepared to die?**

_"The lady sleeps! Oh, may her sleep,_

_Which is enduring, so be deep!_

_Heaven have her in its sacred keep!_

_This chamber changed for one more holy,_

_This bed for one more melancholy,_

_I pray to God that she may lie_

_Forever with unopened eye,_

_While the dim sheeted, ghosts go by!" - Edger Allen Poe_

Not only was everything in the house had a great deal of difference to it Laurie could not help but feel

_very _different herself. Curiously and oddly enough, she ran her left hand down her right arm. Her fingers rubbed against rough fabric that shrift and moved along with her movement. Groggily she sat up and peered down at herself to see she was lying in a bed and a multi-pattern quilt covering her. Laurie gently tugged the quilt aside, as she did she let out a gasp at what she saw.

_'This is not my body!'_

Before her in her very eyes, she saw (and among other evidence) that the body she was in was male. Being completely bewildered could not fully describe how Laurie felt in that moment. With wide distressed eyes, she looked around the room to find that she was occupying the brighter room that had the wall with the painted willow tree and blue jays and vanity dresser not too far to the wall next to her.

As she moved her body off the bed, it protested in squeaks from the sudden shift of weight. She walked over to the vanity dresser to see that it did not appear as old as it did when she first laid eyes on it. Instinctively, she glanced up at the mirror seated atop the dresser, expecting to see _her_ reflection. Instead what she had seen, a pair of baby blue eyes staring back at her was the boy she had just met moments ago in her spirit walking experience.

Testing what she saw was real she moved her hand to pat her head. The boy in the reflection did the same. Everything that she did the boy in the mirror mimicked before Laurie finally let it really dawn on her that she was in control of someone else's, this boy's body.

"Oh my…" She mumbled faintly as she felt the feet she was standing on swayed a bit. She felt slightly faint of breath. Steadying herself by placing a firm hand on the vanity dresser top, Laurie could not help but gawk at the body she was occupying reflection and wonder how in the world had that happened?

"Jonah!"

Startled, Laurie jumped slightly from hearing the sudden voice of an older man.

"Jonah," She curiously said to herself as she turned and looked out the window. The weather outside was cloudy and a light misty drizzle fell upon the earth.

"Jonah!" The man yelled once more, this time sounding more aggravated.

_'Who is this Jonah,'_ Laurie thought as she quietly opened the wooden door. Walking out into the hall and then leaning over the railing of the stairs to see exactly who was rudely calling out to the person named 'Jonah'.

At the bottom of the stairs stood a tall intimidating man who was glaring up at her with narrowed cruel eyes. His short pointed beard, round glasses and, old time clothes are what mainly stuck out to her.

"What are standing there for, looking all floored about something," The old man baked harshly at Laurie. "Get out of your nightwear and go get dressed already!"

"E-excuse me," Laurie hesitantly questioned as she warily eyed the older man at the end of the stairs.

"You heard me, Jonah," He growled. "Now go!"

At the harsh command Laurie didn't know what exactly she was suppose to do but very slowly and shrunk back into the brighter room. Once in the room, she lends against the hard wooden door, let out a heavy sigh and slump her shoulders forward. Begrudgingly, she pushed herself off the door and went toward closet. As she opened the closet door she peered curiously inside to see short verity of shirts hanging on wire hangers.

"Hmm…" She hummed to herself in thought as she then left the closet and headed to the vanity dresser. She pulled several of the dresser drawls open to see neatly folded pants, socks and undergarments organized in their own little section of the dresser.

After she finished looking over what was inside, Laurie glanced and obverses the attire she was wearing at the moment. She – or rather this boy's body – was wearing a pair of itchy faded blue pajamas. She has to undress this boy's body that she is currently occupying.

"Uuuh…" Laurie gulped as she took shaking hands and started to fumble with the little round plastic blue buttons. One by one and very slowly each button popped out of the shirts holes. It felt like an eternity until finally she came to the last button and popped it out. Awkwardly she slipped the shirt off and as she did, she dared not looked to see what this boy looked like in the mirror. She rolled the shirt into a wad and threw it onto the springy bed.

She grabbed a familiar shirt off a hanger and quickly pulled it on, fumbling clumsily with the buttons. Then she walked back over to the vanity dresser and pulled out a pair of black overalls. Hurriedly, she stripping off the pajamas bottoms and slipping into the black overalls, snapping the metal buttons into the hooks.

After she dressed this body, she let out another wary sigh before saying, "Good Lord, how long do I have to stay this way?"

She then swiftly tugged on a pair of socks and found and slipped into a pair of leather black shoes. Cautiously, Laurie looked back at the mirror to see how she had done. She looked down and spotted a comb atop the dresser. She used the comb, swiping it in a way she thought this 'Jonah' would like it.

After some time of doing little things to prepare this person for the day, she soon left the brighter room and headed down the stairs. As she came to the kitchen entry way, Laurie saw the older intimidating man sitting at the table, reading a newspaper and sipping a cup of coffee.

"What was holding you up there boy?" The man asked, never taking his eyes off his newspaper.

"I – um – was just waking up and so I was half a sleep I guess," Laurie mumbled as she absently scratched the back of her neck. Then she let out a surprised gasp. "Whoa! My voice sounds deeper, more boyish."

"Why are you speaking nonsense?" The man narrowed his eyes and eyed the boy's persona, "Your speech seems a little strange."

_'I guess that means I shouldn't speak for the remainder of the time I'm spending with him.' _Laurie considered, knitting her brows together.

Jonah Aickman watched in the utmost concern for the body of the young lady's spirit he had found was not moving. Her aura was not bursting like it should which meant that somehow the girl's spirit did not enter back into her body. He glanced at her soul who was a pitiful mess curled up in a fettle position, whimpering and glancing around with large frightened eyes. The Soul can not be without the Spirit.

Jonah did not know where her spirit had gone but he did know that the captured spirits in his home were nearing and wouldn't hesitate seeing that the girl was empty. So, he did the one thing he could think of to protect the girl. He combined his spirit to her body.

Once he had entered, he surveyed his surroundings of the girl's inner world. It wasn't much, grey and misty were the only things to describe it. The faint whimpering of the Soul could be heard and with that Jonah searched the area for her.

It didn't take very long for him to locate the Soul but she was still in the same position when he first looked at her. The Soul stared up at him with glassy hazel eyes.

"Its going to be alright," Jonah tried to comfort as he tried to places a gentle hand on her shoulder but, the Soul recoiled away from him and shrieked. If he was alive he would have cringed. Instead, he lowered himself to her level, delicately pulling the Soul in his arms and held her and petting her hair soothingly. He sat back on his bum and she completely clung to the back of his shirt and molded into his form.

The Soul's whimpering eventually ceased and she relaxed all together.

Jonah then leaned the Soul away from him and got back up. The Soul followed suit as well.

In a quiet timid voice, the Soul spoke up, "Aunt Lil's going to be a-angry at us."

He looked down at her and then patted her atop her head as if she was a small child. "Then we better get your body moving then, huh?"


End file.
